Today, I’m offering my thoughts on a new show casting for ABC. Here’s how the network themselves describes it:

“The inimitable Steve Harvey is hosting a new, groundbreaking show on ABC looking for great innovators and entrepreneurs to help fund their American dream. We’re looking for mom and pop businesses, unique and interesting products, or creative ideas that just need a little more money to jumpstart their next phase. You could win anywhere from $10,000 – $100,000, all you have to do is win over the live studio audience and convince them that you deserve to be funded.”

And what is this program called? Steve Harvey’s Funderdome.

Really? No, no, no. This is Shark Tank, or a lower-budget clone/knock-off of it, hosted by a man who has way too much airtime already. This is a televised, compacted version of Kickstarter, and they’re calling it Funderdome?

When I think Funderdome, I think variety. I think of something along the lines of Sabado Gigante. Let me show you what I mean (courtesy of Canal 13 Chile):

Can’t you just see Steve Harvey doing something like that? Oh, the field day he’d have. But nooooo, he wants to do a practical remake of The Smart Alecks. This is essentially what you’ll be getting, without the wit of Allen Ludden or David Letterman:

That being said, if you have a business, gadget, or something else that needs funding, and you’d like to play straight man to Steve Harvey, you can send the producer an e-mail.